Sitting down on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, Jay-Z said that when his mother came out of the closet, he cried tears of joy. He also rapped about the emotional experience on his song "Smile" off 4:44. Gloria Carter, who gave birth to one of the biggest music icons of all time, was honored by GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) for her emotional and epic poem at the end of "Smile" this past weekend. In her acceptance speech, Momma Carter may have caused a few more people to shed a tear of joy as well.
“Thanks to you, to all the people whose lives I touched, for your support, by just telling my truth,” she stated. “‘Smile’ became a reality because I shared with my son who I am. Not that people didn’t know; I was just someone they didn’t talk about but they loved me anyway. But for me, this was the first time that I spoke to anyone about who I really am.”
She continued on to reveal that her love gave her the strength to finally come out to the world. “Love gave me the courage to take the power that I allowed other people to have over my life for fear of them revealing my secret that wasn’t really a secret. Here I am, I’m loving, I’m respectful, I’m productive, and I’m a human being who has a right to love who I love. So everybody, just smile, be free. Thank you, and God bless.”